Written by Richard White, edited by Keita Sin, photos contributed by Adrian Silas Tay and Abdul Afiq Abdul Rahman.

Anyone who has spent any time using eBird will have their own experiences about the strength of the platform. In case anyone was in any doubt about the power of eBird to connect birders across borders, we’ve just received news of a connection that would have been almost impossible to achieve without the connectivity of eBird.

The fourth Henderson Waves Raptor Watch by the Bird Society of Singapore ended with the remarkable observation of a Steppe Eagle on 2 November 2025. Detected first from Henderson Waves, the bird was also seen by observers at Mount Faber and Telok Blangah Hill Park. The bird was heading slowly south and was last seen going in the direction of Indonesia which at that time had never recorded this species. This was the first record of the species in Singapore since 1999.

This is not the first time that a potential first for Indonesia has been watched on migration in Singapore heading towards the border. But unlike the Common Swifts which have disappeared into Indonesian airspace, this story has a different ending. On 15 November 2025, Abdul Afiq Abdul Rahman and R Arif Alfauzi saw a Steppe Eagle in Gunung Merapi NP, Java, Indonesia, and uploaded their record to eBird. 

We have previously also used eBird and contributed photographs to attempt to track and count the Himalayan Griffons that showed up in Singapore.

A quick check of their image compared to those taken by Francis Yap clearly suggests that it is the same bird – 13 days and 1,200 kilometres away! Nobody would have known of this remarkable feat if not for the timely use and sharing through eBird – and we strongly encourage all of you to continue using the platform  (or start today if you haven’t yet!). It will allow us to learn so much more about the birds around us.

 

Corrigendum: this article was earlier wrongly titled “You won’t believe where Singapore’s eighth Steppe Eagle just ended up…”. We might have been too eager, the Henderson Waves bird was only the seventh record. We’ve changed the title, but are sorely hoping for the next one to turn up soon. Plus points for optimism?